Vacuum displacement apparatus

ABSTRACT

A cylindrical housing having a chamber of substantial size for use in a vacuum process wherein the improvement herein relates to the reduction in size of the free space or volume of said chamber to that of the requirement of any given use for said chamber, the improvement consisting of placing enclosed cells within said chamber, said cells being formed of somewhat flexible sheet material and after placement within said chamber being filled with a relatively gas-free liquid having very small response to pressure differentials whereby the space not occupied by said cells will have a vacuum drawn thereon and the walls of said cells will flex sufficiently to equalize the pressure between the working or free space of said chamber and that of the interior of said cells.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Robley V. Stuart 536 63rd Ave. N.]E., Minneapolis, Minn. 55421 [21] Appl. No. 849,101

[22] Filed Aug. 11,1969

[45] Patented Oct. 12, 1971 [54] VACUUM DISPLACEMENT APPARATUS 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] 10.8. C1 220/85 0 [51] lint. Cl 1B65d 25/10, 865d 25/02 [50] Field of Search 220/20, 22, 85 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,372,190 3/1921 Randall 220/85 B UX 3,226,467 12/1965 Kienel 220/9 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,138,685 10/ 1962 Germany 220/20 Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance Attorney-Reif and Gregory ABSTRACT: A cylindrical housing having a chamber of substantial size for use in a vacuum process wherein the improvement herein relates to the reduction in size of the free space or volume of said chamber to that of the requirement of any given use for said chamber, the improvement consisting of placing enclosed cells within said chamber, said cells being formed of somewhat flexible sheet material and after placement within said chamber being filled with a relatively gas-free liquid having very small response to pressure differentials whereby the space not occupied by said cells will have a vacuum drawn thereon and the walls of said cells will flex sufiiciently to equalize the pressure between the working or free space of said chamber and that of the interior of said cells.

ilA ClUlUh ll DISPLACEMENT ARRARATTJS SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF THE llNVENTlON There are many processes to be carried out in a vacuum chamber which require substantially sized chambers. By way of example, it would not be unusual to have a vacuum process requiring a working volume of 50 cubic feet such as an enclo sure on the order of 10 feet X feet X 1 foot. A vacuum chamber of this size would be impractical of construction. However it would not be impractical to provide a cylindrical chamber having something over a 5-foot diameter and -foot length but here there would be 250 cubic feet of free space or working volume instead of the 50 cubic feet of working volume required. The essential concept of the invention herein is to provide means for adapting a substantial size of chamber to reduce the working volume or free space therein to the particular requirement for volume or space of any given process or application. This problem of the desirability of space reduction is not present in the use of relatively small vacuum chambers such as is formed within a bell jar.

The closest development in the art having any bearing on the area of the invention herein is represented by the US. Pat. No. 2,331,097 to Walter, and US. Pat. No. 2,371,404 to Mumford. The patent to Walter provides gas-filled balls within a liquid receptacle to absorb abnormal transient pressures developed within the receptacle. The patent to Mumford discloses the use of balloons within a submersible container to expel liquids therefrom upon being inflated and also to provide buoyancy for floating the container. One patent merely teaches accommodation for varying transient pressures and the other teaches the displacement of liquids by an inflatable member. The inventive concept herein is significantly different.

Stated generally, the invention herein comprises a housing having a chamber of substantial size therein constructed to permit having a vacuum drawn on said chamber, and having in combination therewith cell members to be placed within said chamber to talte up the space or volume therein to that required for a particular job so that a vacuum will be drawn only upon the working volume or actual space required, said cells upon being positioned within said housing being filled with a relatively gasfree liquid, and said cells will have a sufficiently flexible wall construction to equalize the small pressure differential which will be present between the cells and the space within the chamber having a vacuum drawn thereon. There will be a small amount of gas in the liquid which will cause some expansion of the cells in the presence of a vacuum.

it is an object of this invention therefore to provide a vacuum chamber with means in connection therewith to talze up volume of said chamber to leave a lesser working volume or free space according to what may be required.

it is another object of the invention to provide means for talcing up the volume of a vacuum chamber, said means readi- 1y being adapted to adjust to a lesser pressure or to the absence of pressure within said chamber.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a structure embodying a vacuum comprising cells of a configuration to interfit within said chamber to take the volume or space therein to leave only such free space upon which to draw a vacuum as will be required for the worlr to be done therein, said cells containing a relatively gas-free liquid and having walls sufficiently flexible to equalize the pressure differential between that within said chamber and that within said cells.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

lFlG. ll is a view is side elevation;

MG. 2 is a view in longitudinal vertical section; and

R10. 3 is a view in vertical cross section taken on line 3-3 of F110. 2 as indicated.

DESCRlPTlON OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the drawings, a housing lltl of substantial size is shown comprising a cylindrical body portion 111 forming a shell and having a partially spherical rear end enclosure or wall 112 and an open front end portion 113 having a partially spherical closure or front end wall 115 conventionally hinged to said body portion and having a conventional cam locking or latching member 117.

Said housing is suitably supported by a pair of spaced base supporting members l9 having concave upper side portions to accommodate the bottom curvature of said container 10.

Within said housing is chamber 21. In communication with said chamber and extending outwardly of said rear end wall 12 is an outlet or conduit 23 running to a vacuum pump not here shown.

Said housing it) will be of such a construction as will permit a vacuum to be drawn on said chamber 211. It is intended that said housing be of substantial size such as on the order of 250 cubic feet as compared to the conventional vacuum chambers which are formed with bell jars and are of relatively small size. Said housing is indicated as being on the order of 5 feet in diameter and having a length on the order of 10 feet.

Chamber 211 provides a larger volume of space than may be required in many operations to be carried out therein, but in many operations its length or width may be required although not its entire volume. The essential novelty of the subject matter of the invention herein is present in providing means of effecting a reduction of the full volume of said chamber 211 to a lesser working volume of lesser given dimensions or of a lesser dimension in one direction. The reduction of the volume of said chamber is accomplished by inserting or disposing within said chamber members comprising cells which are indicated by the reference numerals 30, 311, 32 and 33 it will be understood that the cells .shown here are merely representative and that the particular configuration of cells will vary in accordance with the form of the working space required for any given application or process to be carried out within said chamber. Working space or working volume is defined as the space or volume required for the application of a particular process to be carried out and it is the space or volume which will be evacuated in drawing a vacuum.

The cells indicated here are shown designed to provide a working space substantially rectangular in cross section save for the end closures of said housing.

The cells 363 and Bi are shown to be partially cylindrical in being disposed in opposed spaced relation against opposed sidewall portions of said housing having parallel facing walls Eilila and Bills. The cell 3 13' is shown resting on the bottom wall of the housing it). Supported thereon against the opposing sidewall portions of said housing are cells 32 and 33 having parallel facing walls 320 and 33a. Said cells are shown having their outer sidewalls remote from one another curved to mate with the adjacent wall portions of said housing. A pair of brackets 35 and 36 are secured to inner sidewall portions of said housing overlying said cells and extending lengthwise thereof. Said brackets have depending flange portions 35a and Bide which retain the cells 32 and 33 in position. The cell Si is shown supported by said brackets 35 and 36.

Said cells comprise walls which are form-retaining and which are satisfactorily formed of a thin metal sheet material of some flexibility. Said cells will be relatively light in weight to be easily handled for insertion into or removal from the housing 1111).

After being positioned within said housing 110, said cells will be filled with a relatively gas-free liquid such as water which will have very little expansion with respect to change in pres sure within said chamber 211. The walls of said cells will flex sufiiciently to equalize the pressure differential between said chamber and the chambers of said cells. Said cells will be provided with valves. With reference to P16. 2, the cells 30, 31 and 33 are shown respectively having valves 30b, 31b and 33b. Said valves are shown in pairs. One valve of each pair will be used to introduce liquid into the cells and the other will permit the exhaust of air from said cells. Connection with a source of suitable liquid will be a conventional arrangement and is not here shown.

The particular apparatus which may be required for carrying out a process within the working area of the chamber 21 will be conventional apparatus and is not here shown. The arrangement of such apparatus is well known in the art and does not represent part of the invention herein.

ln will be understood that the structure described herein is a representative structure, that the cells may be variously shaped and that appropriate holding means shown here as brackets 35 and 36 will be provided to retain the cells inserted within the container in desired positions.

By way of explanation, the housing illustrated herein which has a total capacity on the order of 250 cubic feet has been modified to provide on the order of 50 cubic feet of working volume and it is only this volume which need be evacuated. Thus the time required for drawing a vacuum has been greatly lessened and this represents a significant contribution particularly where the application involves repetition or frequent entry into the chamber, which means that on each such occasion the air pressure within the chamber 21 will have to be restoredto atmospheric pressure and subsequently evacuated.

it will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of the invention herein as disclosed.

What is claimed is:

l. A structure adapted to have formed therein a varying sized vacuum chamber, having in combination a housing comprising a chamber therein,

said housing embodying a wall structure arranged and constructed to withstand a vacuum drawn on said chamber,

members comprising enclosed cells each having a chamber therein and being arranged to be removably disposed therein said chamber of said housing to reduce the volume within said chamber of said housing which would be subject to evacuation in having a vacuum drawn thereon,

said members respectively having self-form-retaining bodies and comprising walls of some flexibility to accommodate the small pressure differential between a relatively gasfree liquid therein and a vacuum thereabout,

valve means in connection with said chambers of each of said cells for communication with said chambers,

means in connection with said chamber of said housing communicating with a vacuum pump, and

a relatively gas-free liquid filling the chambers of said cells.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said cells each having a wall structure such as to substantially maintain their configuration within the chamber of said housing whether in the presence of a vacuum drawn on said chamber of said housing or in the presence of atmospheric pressure therein. 

1. A structure adapted to have formed therein a varying sized vacuum chamber, having in combination a housing comprising a chamber therein, said housing embodying a wall structure arranged and constructed to withstand a vacuum drawn on said chamber, members comprising enclosed cells each having a chamber therein and being arranged to be removably disposed therein said chamber of said housing to reduce the volume within said chamber of said housing which would be subject to evacuation in having a vacuum drawn thereon, said members respectively having self-form-retaining bodies and comprising walls of some flexibility to accommodate the small pressure differential between a relatively gas-free liquid therein and a vacuum thereabout, valve means in connection wIth said chambers of each of said cells for communication with said chambers, means in connection with said chamber of said housing communicating with a vacuum pump, and a relatively gas-free liquid filling the chambers of said cells.
 2. The structure set forth in claim 1, wherein said cells each having a wall structure such as to substantially maintain their configuration within the chamber of said housing whether in the presence of a vacuum drawn on said chamber of said housing or in the presence of atmospheric pressure therein. 